France

Updated: February 14, 2014 When Charles Dickens wrote the line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” he must have been living abroad. In fact, there’s a strong chance he was working in Paris as an au pair. Over the past year I’ve learned that expat life certainly has its ups and downs, which somehow feel stronger than the vicissitudes of life back home. When things go wrong, it’s extra frustrating- the French post lost your box of summer clothes, you can’t figure out how to unlock your phone and your banker doesn’t speak a word of English (who, ironically, is the one person in France who wants to speak to you in French). And all the while your family’s across the ocean and it can take a long time to set up a network of friends and acquaintances. Life abroad can get frustrating and lonely very quickly. (And in those moments, god bless Gchat.) But the highs are also so much higher. Everything’s new and exciting. … [Read more...] about Paris Expat: The Reality of Life in France

Updated: May 1, 2013 What’s better than a day spent on a sandy, windswept French island strewn with colorful lighthouses, ponies and daisies? Well as they say in La Belle France, absolument rien.  While my mom, little sis and I were staying in the seaside town of La Rochelle, on France’s Atlantic coast, we decided to take a day trip to the nearby island of Île de Ré. Our first stop on this French island road trip was Saint-Martin-de-Ré, the island’s most bustling town, populated by a whopping 5,000 inhabitants. There were pastel-colored boats… ice cream cones… and pretty vintage maps. While hanging out at the local fish market, I asked one of the vendors where to find a bite to eat. “Go to my friend Sophie’s restaurant for lunch,” she said. “I’ll give you her number.” Moments later, we found ourselves back on the road with some vague directions in French that I may or may not have … [Read more...] about Ile de Re, France’s Most Adorable Island

Eric Tabanou, director of the France Tabac, factory in the Dordogne region of southwest France, said keeping the country's last tobacco processing site open became unviable. AFP/Mehdi FEDOUACH Anti-smoking campaigners may cheer its demise, but for its workers and local tobacco growers, the closure of the France Tabac factory after 34 years of operation is a devastating blow to the Dordogne region of southwest France. "It's a fine mess," lamented Chanquoi, 61, who has worked for over 30 years at the factory in the town of Sarlat-la-Caneda. "It makes you well up a bit, it's hard. I am at the end of my career, but for my friends ... who have a decade of career ahead of them, it is tough," he added. In its heyday after opening in 1985 in one of France's main tobacco growing regions, the factory was a mainstay of the local economy, extending over 10 hectares and processing 20,000 tonnes of tobacco leaves from France and Europe every year. "Our know-how is recognised across all of … [Read more...] about Final puffs for France”s last tobacco factory

Updated: February 14, 2014 To be fair, I didn’t really spend two days at a 200-year old French apple farm – I spent two days at an apple farm that is at least 200 years old. And despite some editions over the years, the farmhouse itself was built more than 300 years ago. Catherine and Olivier, the couple whose children I take care are of, both hail from the north of France, but this week we went to visit Catherine’s family at their charming apple farm. (Is there any other kind of apple farm?) We arrived late at night after a four-hour car ride from Paris, but luckily there was a full meal waiting for us: arugula salad, jambon persillé and country bread, which we washed down with a healthy dose of red wine. (Or well, I did.) The next morning we started cooking early to prepare for the birthday party of Catherine’s 11-year old nephew. In honor of the festivities, Olivier made his signature scallops with crème fraîche and … [Read more...] about Two Days at a 200-Year Old French Apple Farm

Thousands of people prepared to descend on Paris on Sunday (Oct 6) to protest a government plan to let single women and lesbians become pregnant with fertility treatments, the first major social reform since France legalised gay marriage in 2013. IVF treatment is currently only available to heterosexual couples in France. (Photo: AFP/Josep Lago) Organisers say they are hoping 100,000 will turn out against a law heading to the Senate this month, after it was approved by the lower house of parliament in September. President Emmanuel Macron pledged during his 2017 election campaign to push the law despite deep resistance among right-wing opponents as well as conservative Roman Catholics and other religious groups. They had mobilised massively in 2012 and 2013 against a move by Macron's Socialist predecessor Francois Hollande to legalise marriage for homosexual couples, with one Paris protest attracting 340,000 people according to police. But that law did not allow lesbian … [Read more...] about French to protest pro IVF law for single women, lesbians